Under What Circumstances Are Dental Braces Medically Necessary?

Written By Meghan Belnap / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

Braces are primarily used medically to move teeth into the ideal position and align how they are able to bite together. Braces assist the jaw to develop normally when skeletal growth is taking place. The use of braces at an early age leads to better jaw development in a young patient.

Here are a few situations where orthodontic treatment, whether by traditional brackets or Invisalign retainers, may be medically necessary.

Oral Injury Prevention with braces

People with misaligned, crooked, teeth that don't meet or meet abnormally, and/or overcrowded teeth often involuntarily bite their tongues and the insides of the cheeks. Chronic injury to the mouth tissue in the same area - as caused by the misaligned teeth - can aggravate the tissue to potentially develop oral cancers more easily.

They may also have difficulty biting, chewing, and breathing depending on the severity of the misalignment.

Orthodontic services diagnose, alleviate, minimize, or resolve problems that cause physical deformity, pain, significant malfunction, aggravation of a condition, or result in further injury or infirmity when the magnitude of the problems becomes more complicated as time passes.

Reduce Jaw Stress with braces

Braces help achieve a balanced and better bite in order to bite into foods properly. Also, when the bite is unbalanced, unnecessary stress is exerted on the jaw joints and could have long-term detrimental effects.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ) is caused by stressing jaw muscles and joints. The disorder arises from situations such as jaw movement that is irregular and caused by teeth that are misaligned.

Reduce Bacteria Pockets with braces

Mouths with crooked or overcrowded teeth breed bacteria in corners and crevices. Bacteria can eventually lead to bad breath, tooth decay, and other diseases.

Braces help in the avoidance of all that by putting teeth back into what are natural positions that eliminate potential disease-causing bacteria and also make the teeth easier to clean. Teeth are difficult to clean when they are crooked, and you can miss parts that are important and where bacteria can accumulate and make the mouth susceptible to infections.

Speech Problems corrected with braces

When your teeth are misaligned, overcrowded, or otherwise have grown incorrectly in place, this can deeply affect your speech and overall pronunciation abilities. While this may not seem like a medical emergency for children who are still learning pronunciation in the first place, this can cause serious problems with socialization as they grow older and their peers are speaking more clearly.

Without realignment, people may suffer from lisps and difficulty with major consonants throughout their life.

Orthodontia goes far beyond cosmetic applications, often clearing up medical conditions that can severely impact a person’s quality of life. As orthodontic treatments have become more common in modern society, there has been a greater increase in treatment options as well.

While serious misalignments may require metal brackets and wires still, there are many situations where solutions like Invisalign and removable retainers can make the necessary adjustments on their own. Speak to your orthodontist if you have questions about your own alignment needs and how the treatments can improve your oral health.

Looking for a 100% all-natural liquid tooth oil and mouth rinse? Check out OraMD Original Strength and OraMD Extra Strength. Subscribe to our Trusted Health Club newsletter for more information about natural living tips, natural health, oral care, skincare, body care and foot care. If you are looking for more health resources check out the Trusted Health Resources list. 

Written By:
Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook right here and Twitter right here.

Reviewed By:    

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.